Imagine a World

The United States has some of the most abysmal—and most inequitable—maternal mortality rates among high-income countries. American women are more than three times more likely to die from childbirth than women in almost every other wealthy country. But, as I noted earlier, the biggest crisis is among Black and Indigenous women.

I still remember the shock I felt when I read tennis star Serena Williams’s account of how close she came to dying from serious blood clots after giving birth—simply because her own doctors wouldn’t believe her that something was wrong. That shock only grew when I read, just this past April, that Tori Bowie, a Black American track and field Olympian, died from childbirth complications in her home. And these are just the stories we hear about in headlines.

It’s remarkable that a common antibiotic like azithromycin has the potential to address the cause of nearly a quarter of American maternal deaths.

But as Serena’s harrowing experience and Tori’s tragic death demonstrate, one antibiotic is not enough. The systemic inequalities that deny the highest-quality care to Black and Indigenous women also need to be addressed—urgently.

A powerful engine for progress

These are three of the innovations that are reshaping maternal health—and there are others just on the horizon, especially as researchers learn more about how to use AI to improve maternal health care.

Of course, these breakthroughs aren’t silver bullets on their own—they require countries to keep recruiting, training, and fairly compensating health care workers, especially midwives, and building more resilient health care systems. But together, they can save the lives of thousands of women every year. And that’s not all.

Improving maternal health also means improving infant health and survival. It means stronger families, more vibrant communities, and more prosperous societies. We have seen over and over again that when countries actually prioritize and invest in women’s health, they unleash a powerful engine for progress that can reduce poverty, advance gender equality, and build resilient economies.

That’s why, more than anything, we need to rally the will to invest in these breakthroughs—so they actually get to the women who need them most—and fund the remarkable researchers who will discover the next ones.

Dr. Afolabi explained that in the Yoruba language, the traditional greeting to a woman who has given birth is “Eku ewu omo,” which translates to, “Well done for getting through the danger of childbirth.”

Thanks to her, and others like her, more women will live long enough to hear those words. And maybe one day, when breakthroughs have reached women all around the world and childbirth is far less dangerous, all they’ll hear is “Well done.”